Both the provision and advantages of battery carrying handles are well known, especially a bail-type handle. Bail handles typically comprise a U- or C- shape member attached to opposing sides of a battery casing, either on its container or cover. With such handles the battery may be carried in much the same fashion as a picnic basket or pail. Handles are a particular convenience in batteries designed for use in boats or in uninterrupted power supply (UPS) applications which must be frequently moved for storage, service, or recharging.
Frequently, however, bail handles tend to interfere with one or more of the many types of devices by which batteries are mounted. Thus, bail handles can make it more difficult to design a battery which is suitable for use with all types of mounting devices.
One approach to that problem has been to design bail handles which fit into a recess in the battery casing when the handle is not in use. Examples of such recessible designs are disclosed, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,863 to C. Terrell; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,264 to M. McGuire et al. Typically, however, the design of such recessible handles is complicated and/or the handle is not easily manufactured or assembled.
For example, thermoplastic polymers are the materials of choice for battery casings and handles, but many recessible handle designs require complicated molds and are expensive and difficult to mold. Some handles must be attached simultaneously with the sealing of the battery cover to the container, and to that extent, the assembly of the battery is unnecessarily complicated. Other handles must be distorted considerably to attach them. Thus, they are somewhat difficult to attach and must be made of relatively resilient material not entirely suitable for supporting the weight of the battery without a real possibility of detaching.
Another approach has been to utilize handles which can be detached and removed from the battery after installation. Examples of detachable bail handles are disclosed, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,029,748 to F. Lee; U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,022 to A. Fox; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,093,515 to R. Rector. While detachable bail handles can offer certain advantages, they are not entirely successful in permitting the battery to be adaptable to al mounting devices. The means for detachably connecting the ends of the bail handle to the battery casing typically comprise members which project from the overall geometry of the casing, even when the handle is detached, and can interfere with some mounting devices.
Despite the general advantages of having battery carrying handles, battery handles necessarily add cost to the battery. Institutional customers, such as those who use batteries in UPS applications, may not need a handle for each battery and, because they tend to have established maintenance procedures, may be satisfied with a single handle for use in handling many batteries.
Prior art handles, however, are not susceptible to easy attachment and detachment. For example, recessible handles in general are designed not to be detached by the consumer. Even those which may be relatively easily attached, e.g., as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,888 to W. Kump et al., requires some dexterity to detach. That also is true of many detachable designs. Detachment and attachment may require relatively precise alignment of cooperating parts and/or multiple motions. This may make them less than ideally suited to using a single handle.
Further, when the handle of many prior art designs is removed, the absence of the handle is conspicuous and the overall aesthetic appeal of the battery may be diminished. A neat and clean design, however, may convey to the consumer a sense of quality which may be transferred to the functional performance of the battery as well. This sense may be difficult to create if many conventional designs were to be sold without a handle.
For other applications, such as consumer marine applications, it is necessary as a practical matter to provide a handle with each battery. Naturally, it is preferable that the handle is attachable in such a manner that it cannot become accidentally detached and lost during the course of distributing the battery to the ultimate consumer. Heretofore, however, prior art designs have failed to provide attachment means by which the bail handle may be easily removed with a minimum of physical dexterity but which will prevent unintended detachment of the battery handle.
An object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a bail-type battery handle which is simply, easily, and economically manufactured and strong and reliable in use, yet which may be easily attached and detached with a minimum of physical dexterity required.
It also is an object to provide a carrying handle which can be easily attached and detached with a minimum of physical dexterity, but which also is not susceptible to being inadvertently detached during distribution.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a battery handle which is removably attached to the battery casing, yet when detached offers no projecting members which can tend to interfere with mounting devices.
A further object is to provide a battery handle the absence of which, when removed, will not be conspicuous and otherwise diminish the aesthetic appeal of the battery.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a battery carrying handle which has some or all of the above advantages.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings.